Lunch at Lacroix

A luxurious French restaurant, Lacroix is located in Rittenhouse Square, inside the Ritz Carlton Hotel. I decided to visit Lacroix during Restaurant Week for lunch. We sat at the window seat, which had a beautiful view of  Rittenhouse Square. The atmosphere was very chill yet luxurious; I also thought that the restaurant was really clean and not too crowded.

For the appetizer, I ordered the Caesar salad. It tasted just like an ordinary Caesar salad, except that it contained "smoked charred red onion," which created a rich flavor.

The funnel soup contained tiny pieces of mango and olive. I had never tried funnel soup before, and it tasted much differently than any other "ordinary" soup. A very creamy soup, the funnel soup's mango and olive pieces added a very strong -- and a bit sour -- taste.

For the second course, I ordered Tagliatelle. It had thin flat noodles and black trumpet (mushrooms) and truffles. On the top rested a coddled egg, which exploded when I poked it with a fork. The egg yolk over the pasta and mushrooms made the pasta really flavorful. Overall, I really enjoyed the pasta.

This is Rohan Duck with black currant and Swiss chard (second course). Although the duck skin/fat part was too oily for me, the dish itself was quite good.

For dessert, each of us ordered three small tarts: one with blueberries, another with mango & berry creamy cake, and one with a cinnamon cream puff. The third course, the dessert, is not set, so it varies depending on which day you visit the restaurant. For instance, the Center City Philadelphia website says that the third course is a "Trio of Petite Desserts". Overall, I think that Lacroix was a great-value meal for two people ($40 for two). Although each course contained relatively small portions, I did feel pretty full after finishing the entire three-course meal. Since Lacroix is typically very expensive, the ability to try the restaurant during restaurant week was a quite satisfying experience!